Aston Martin DBX – long-term-review

When the DBX was first unveiled at launch events in Beijing and Los Angeles in November 2019, the model was heralded as ‘the car to save Aston Martin’. Production started in July 2020 and, a little over a year later, we have the sales figures for the first nine months of 2021.

Although the company is not yet in profit, between January and September Aston Martin reported 4,250 total sales, 51 per cent of which were attributed to the DBX. Based on that statistic alone, one would have to say that the DBX has been a success, although I’ve only seen a couple on the road here in the UK.

Perhaps the venues chosen for the 2019 launch give a clue as to where Aston is focussing its real sales efforts – and in any case, a degree of rarity on UK roads does add somewhat to the car’s appeal...
 
The V12 and much-needed plug-in hybrid versions that have been rumoured would no doubt give the model a further sales boost, but there will still be those who don’t care for the DBX’s styling. The comments under these reports indicate that you're pretty divided on this matter but personally I love the fact that it’s so understated and yet undeniably an Aston Martin.

That all said, if the DBX is a little too understated for your tastes, the German modding company Mansory has just announced its take on the model with what it calls a ‘complete vehicle conversion’. This includes an aggressive-looking body kit featuring two massive spoilers, 24” wheels, 800bhp and a largely lime green interior.

Each to their own, but I think I’d rather stick with the rather more elegant original.
 
Talking of elegance, the new Range Rover also looks stunning and will no doubt be a brilliant car. The entry point is also a fair bit cheaper than the DBX, but the on-road handling may not turn out to be quite as pin sharp as the Aston’s and they will certainly become much more commonplace on Britain’s roads very soon after launch.

Let’s hope that the DBX gets some sort of electrification before too long, because once that happens all Aston Martin need to do is add a 2021-spec touchscreen and two of the Range Rover’s main advantages will have been addressed.